Renegade Aeris x Cloud Month 2017
by sanctum-c
Summary: A selection of prompt fills for Clerith Month on Tumblr.
1. First Anniversary

"You want to borrow my earrings?" Tifa blinked at Aeris.

"For the dinner, yeah," Aeris replied. She toyed with the hem of her dress. "And... How do I get my ears pierced?" She had skipped this part of her teenage years unlike what had seemed like every other teen in the slums. The thought of putting a hole in any part of her body had not been exactly appealing until this week. Their first anniversary was coming up and the three of them had planned a big dinner; Aeris, Tifa and Cloud. Tifa brought home a new dress and some new earrings for the occasion sparking considerations about Aeris's own preparations. She had her dress, jewelry and some make-up picked out already. But nothing for her ears.

Tifa blinked at her again. "Well. Piercing your ears will be easy." She shot her a sympathetic smile. "But unfortunately you won't be able to make use of most of my earrings. I mean, you can borrow anything you like, but its not the best idea right after having it done." Aeris's disappointment must have shown on her face; Tifa quickly kept on talking. "But there are plenty of great choices even with just studs." She got up and hugged her wife. "We have a week for your recovery; at least you didn't ask this the day before or anything."

"Thanks," Aeris murmured, hugging her back. "I just wanted it to be special."

"It will be whether you have pierced ears or not," Tifa insisted. "And if we do get it sorted now, you'll be ready for the next anniversary. And any future fancy occasion." She stepped back. "Out of interest, are there any of my earrings you particularly wanted to borrow?"

Aeris's face warmed. "I always like those ones." She gestured to Tifa's ears.

"Oh, the teardrop ones?" Tifa's fingers tapped the jewelry in her left ear and sent it swinging. "Didn't know you liked them so much." Aeris nodded and Tifa laid her hand on her arm. "Well, I promise you can borrow them in future. For now, let's get you able to wear them."

"We're going to do it now?" Aeris glanced to the darkened window. "Isn't it a little late?"

Tifa shrugged. "Tattoo parlors tend to do this kind of thing until all hours. But we don't need to go out. Just a sterilized needle." She bit her lip. "And it is going to sting a bit."

"I think I'll be okay," Aeris said. She trailed after Tifa as she headed for the kitchen, the abruptness of this action suddenly scary. "Not sure I can believe it's been a year though."

Tifa rifled through a drawer. "Amazing isn't it? And near two years since you proposed." She held up a sewing needle in a triumphant gesture and Aeris's stomach clenched. "Glad you did though."

"Me too," Aeris smiled without quite feeling it. Tifa waved her onto a stool; Aeris perched unable to look away as Tifa sterilized the needle. She had to focus elsewhere as Tifa rubbed some alcohol on her ear lobe and warned Aeris again that it might sting. She tensed up; the moment the pin pushed into her skin was more bearable than expected but she was unable to stop another wince as Tifa moved to her other ear. At least her wife was talking with her the whole time and keeping her as distracted as possible.

Cloud noticed his wife's handiwork as soon as he got home, naturally curious about what precipitated the change. He wore earrings too. Maybe in future rather than simply borrowing Tifa's earrings - or getting some of her own - she could borrow one from each of her partners. The wolf-head from Cloud and the teardrop from Tifa. She might look ridiculous with mismatched jewelry, but it would be another bond between the three of them.


	2. The Highwind Promise

"And here we are." Cloud threw open the cabin door with a flourish and stood to one side to allow Aeris enter before him. She rushed into the interior, unable to look at anything but the enormous window occupying nearly one entire wall. The airship was still moored, but even from here they already seemed so high off the ground; workers and passengers milling around in minature below them. A good view for now, but with the promise of a better one once they took off. Aeris span on the spot, only now taking in the rest of the cabin, her heavy skirts swirling as she turned. A double bed- Wait, they called them berths did they not? She shrugged. Over there was a small cramped bathroom. And over here were two comfortable armchairs set before the window, red velvet curtains hanging on either side. Behind her Cloud had retrieved their suitcases from the corridor and shut the cabin door.

"This is glorious," Aeris said. Cloud smiled at her as he slipped off his coat and hung it inside one of the wardrobes lining the wall beside the door. "I confess I was anticipating some pokey cupboard with little beside two bunks."

"I knew how much you were looking forward to this," he replied as he fumbled with his collar. "So I made sure we got a nicer cabin." With a sigh of relief, he pulled his tie from his shirt and took hold of one of the curtains.

"Don't shut them!"

Cloud blinked at her. "But, darling, I was going to change." He did not loosen his grip on the curtain.

"I know. And-" She shook her head. "Leave them open," Aeris's face heated a little at her own daring. She smiled at Cloud's incredulous look. "I don't want to miss a second of the sky. And as long as you stay back from the window it is not as if anyone would be able to see you."

He glanced to the window and then smiled at her. "I suppose there is little harm in that…"

"And natural light is so much nicer than those Mako-gas lamps." Aeris toyed with the ribbon at the top of her dress. "Why, it might even be possible to sunbathe in here." Cloud's expression pinked again. Impossible to stop her own smile at the memory. "Like we did on that private beach at Costa del Sol." That got a wide grin out of him even as his face reddened.

"I do believe you have me convinced," Cloud replied, his voice a little strangled, as he untucked his shirt and undid his cuffs.

Aeris tugged at the ribbon on her dress; her bodice came apart and quickly drew Cloud's attention. She smiled and glanced away. A card lay in the middle of the bed. "What's this?"

"Hmm?" Cloud crumpled his shirt into the laundry hamper as Aeris flopped onto the bed. The mattress was firm; not a patch on the one at home. Not the most important factor here however despite her intended use for it - at some point anyway.

"'The Highwind Promise'," she read from the card. "'A personal assurance from Mr. Cidney Highwind to all our VIP customers.'"

"Sounds like an advertisement," Cloud said as he perched on the edge of the bed and pulled off his trousers and socks.

"It reads like one. 'We at Highwind Airships believe that airship is the only proper way to travel the world. To that end, we will endeavour to ensure that your trip with us is conducted with the utmost comfort.'" Cloud stripped off his underwear and opened one of the suitcases; Aeris pulled at the lacing of her dress with one hand. "'Our courteous and highly trained staff will be on hand to assist you with whatever you might require. Please be assured of their discretion with regards to your own privacy. In the event any aspect of our voyage displeases you, I will personally review any complaint you might make. Yours, Cidney Highwind (Owner)'."

"How gracious of the man," Cloud said from somewhere behind her.

Aeris dropped the card back onto the bed as Cloud passed her one of the swords. "I do hope we won't have any complaints for Mr. Highwind." The blade was free of knicks, carefully oiled and ready. Cloud made a check of his own sword.

"Mr. Highwind is a gentleman; I am sure his assurances carry weight." Cloud strolled to the wardrobe, not wearing a stitch and impressively unconcerned despite his prior protests. He stowed his sword inside. "I suppose we should dress for the evening?"

She bit her lip and tugged her dress over her head, lounging on the bed in her shift and petticoats. "Perhaps not quite yet." Aeris reached out to him. "We have the room to ourselves and some hours still." Cloud grinned and took her hand; Aeris pulled him down on top of her. A good way to relax before the mission. And besides it would be difficult to resist the temptation much longer.


	3. Walking in the Rain

Aeris's whole body jerked as she sneezed, the bed rattling with the movement. She took an awkward breath, tensed and- Nothing. She tensed again, the sneeze proving evasive now she was on the cusp. Almost, almost- Her body twitched and she sneezed again. And again. A fourth sneeze followed and then- Blessedly nothing. With a croaking groan she slumped back against the headboard, tugging the covers up a bit higher. Beside her Cloud sniffed and dabbed at his reddened nose with a wad of tissue. "I think I'm dying," he muttered.

"I thought SOLDIERs didn't get sick?" Aeris's voice was thicker than normal, the inside of her head something akin to cotton wool. So hard to think. Or breath. Or do much but lie in bed and wait for the end to arrive. Either a cure or death; neither seemed more preferable right now.

"I wish," Cloud replied with another sniff.

Tifa re-entered the room empty-handed. "Couldn't find a thermometer." She glanced back the way she came. "The previous owner did not seem to live here all that much. There's almost nothing here besides cactuar-liquer and ice-cubes." Hint of accusation in her voice.

Aeris squirmed. "I would have bought more groceries but-"

"But the two of you decided to go walking in the rain. Right?" Tifa rolled her eyes and shook her head at them.

"It was romantic," Aeris protested in a weak voice as she sank a bit further into the bed.

"I'm sure it was." She shot her a grim smile. "But still think it was worth it?"

"No," Aeris said in a quiet voice.

Tifa sighed. "I'll give Barret a call and get him to bring some cold medicine with him. Or we'll have to go shopping when he gets here. Is the Costa del Sol market open properly?"

Aeris shook her head. Moving them and their friends to the literal mansion Cloud bought while the world was ending had seemed like a good idea at the time. There were however unforeseen practical considerations no one had given much thought to. The original owner experiencing a serious case of seller's remorse was at least straight-forward. And in terms of the mansion's positioning as a holiday destination it was second to none for beach access and as a desirable location for living. Plenty of rooms rooms, an attic, a cellar, and - apparently - a good supply of cactuar-liquer. And some ice.

But the massive, expensive fridge was bare, and the permanent population of the town currently seemed to prefer catching their own fish to anything pre-packaged. There used to be more here, but Meteor changed so much. It would be some time before Costa del Sol returned to its hey-day. If it ever did. At this rate shopping might get expensive. But did that matter? All of Avalanche under one roof. Assuming they would all get on. And not get ill like the two of them. This was not the best start. "You're not keeping us under quarantine are you? I'm not that bad." A poor lie.

"Unfortunately might be for the best," Tifa remarked. "Oh, no you don't." Aeris paused with one foot out of bed. "Back into bed with you." She walked around to Aeris's side of the bed.

"But- Can we just try some materia?" Aeris protested.

"No. You know Cure does nothing to the common cold," Tifa said in a gentle voice. She was right; Aeris had tried it on more than one occasion when she was younger. The attempts left her with a headache and as much of a blocked nose as before.

"I swear there is nothing common about this cold," Cloud put in.

"You'll be fine in a few days and you won't know what you were complaining about," Tifa replied. Aeris opened her mouth to say something more but stopped as Tifa put her hand against her forehead. The other girl's hand was wonderfully cool; easy to miss how warm she felt. A shame Tifa dropped her hand away mere moments later. "You feel hot. Definitely can't let you out of bed." Aeris groaned and slumped back as Tifa padded to the other side of the bed and performed the same action on Cloud. "Yep. You two aren't going anywhere." A distant voice called somewhere else in the house. "That sounds like Barret. Just to you know, Marlene is not allowed in here until you're better."

"We could… we could try and kill the germs with the booze?" Drinking did not seem like a good idea right now, but alcohol killed bacteria didn't it? And it might help her sleep at least.

"We could, but I don't think the others or me want to deal with you two sick and drunk." Tifa sighed. "Just stay there. I'll try and cook you some soup. Then I'll drag one of the TVs in for you. For now the two of you focus on getting better."

"Thank you Tifa," Aeris said and sneezed again. Cloud echoed her words a moment later. "I think I hate the rain now," Aeris muttered once they were alone again.

"Me too."


	4. Witch x Vampire

Cloud knocked on the door and shifted the hot pizza box to his other hand. Out in the main part of Sector Five, children excitedly chattered as they ventured into the streets for trick or treating. How many would make it down this side-path to the Gainsborough house? Probably few of them. More might find their way to the house if there was a trail of Halloween decorations pointing the way. Cloud blinked. That would work; maybe something he could suggest for next year. He stood up straighter as the lock clicked and the door opened to reveal a pale-faced, complete with one wart, a black pointed hat and a flowing black shawl. "Trick or treat!" the witch called as she held her hand up.

"Isn't that my line?" Cloud asked with a frown.

"But you're the one with the pizza," Aeris said, hanging onto her hat as she nodded at the box. "We can do it the other way too, but this way you get your pick of uncollected candy tomorrow."

Cloud smiled. "Fair. Treat then."

Aeris smiled at him, caught his collar with one finger and pulled him into a quick kiss. "There. Treat," she murmured. In the next moment she took the pizza box from him and pushed the door closed. A faint cackle sounded from inside the house as Cloud replayed the last few moments in his head. With a sigh and a shiver he knocked on the door again; Aeris opened it a moment later with a larger grin than before. "That was your trick too," she said. Cloud held her gaze and said nothing. "Suppose you want to come in?" He nodded and she appeared to consider his request. "I suppose. Just this once anyway." She stepped back to let him inside.

Warmer in here. "I am so glad you never get tired of pizza," Cloud said as Aeris made her way to the sofa with the pizza box.

"How could anyone get tired of pizza?" Aeris readjusted her hat as she slumped on the sofa. She flipped the box open and helped herself to the contents.

"I figure some people must. Don't see how though." Cloud toed his shoes off and shrugged out of his coat. Fake cobwebs partly hid the coatrack; he pushed them to one side, careful not to dislodge the attached banner. "Undyne keeps threatening to rescind my freebies. She claims it's costing her too much." He helped himself to a mini-chocolate bar from the bowl near the door and ate it while he changed into his costume. He paused at the fake teeth. Perhaps they could wait for a bit longer until they finished eating the pizza. And if he wound up making out with Aeris sooner rather than later. At least the black cloak and formal wear would be no problem for now. A few motion-sensitive decorations threatened death, cautioned the living and in one case recited an old pop song as he made his way to the sofa.

"Any preference for what we watch first?" Aeris nodded to the stack of video casettes on the table.

Cloud leant his head to one side to read off the spines. All of them horror movies of varying quality; ranging from semi-sentient insectoid creature from beyond the stars with a somewhat inexplicable fascination with airducts menaces the crew of a spaceship; to weird insular family with power tools torment partying teenagers in the backwoods; to a different and shapeshifting creature from beyond the stars menaces scientists; to restless ghosts communicate in the worst way possible and wind up near framing the one person they're trying to communicate with. Many of the tapes were familiar from other un-themed film nights. "Anything's good. You choose the first one."

Aeris finished eating her current slice of pizza and shuffled through the tapes. "We'll start with this then-" Ah, the classic. Man with white mask and kitchen knife torments and kills teenagers who dared to sleep each other before marriage. Fair enough. Aeris flopped back onto the sofa beside him as the various warnings played out at the start of the tape. "Happy Halloween," she murmured as the film started.

"Happy halloween," he replied. Before the film had even advanced five minutes someone knocked on the door. Aeris jumped off the sofa, hit the pause button despite her familiarity with the film and hurried to the door. The various trick or treaters got a handful of candy each and some praise for their costuming efforts. Replacing the bowl beside the door Aeris returned to the sofa. Two minutes later there was another knock.

"Your turn," she said. "I'll get the next one." And so it went for the rest of the night; pizza, candy, trick or treaters, and horror films. Plus a fair amount of making out.


	5. Feeling Lazy

"Time to get up," Cloud called from the doorway, his voice echoing slightly in the still under-furnished house. Aeris pulled the covers up over her head and rolled over, cocooning herself in the blankets as the bedsprings squeaked. "Come on…" he chided tapping his foot against the wooden floorboards.

"I refuse." The bed smelled like Cloud. Dark and warm under the sheets; outside was bright and cold.

Cloud sighed and padded closer, floorboards creaking as he moved. "This was your idea."

"I know." She flopped the covers down, cool air rushing across her torso. Aeris met his gaze and huffed. "But that was back when it was all abstract. It was next year or next month or next week. Or tomorrow. Now it's today and I feel lazy." The annual Avalanche get together was an opportunity to gather all their companions and significant others on a rotating basis. This year was Cloud and Aeris's turn to host. And despite all the preparation; the additional beds, the extra food (so much of that), the sacrificed time was a little too high now the moment arrived. "Not keen on wearing pajamas for the next week."

"Me either." He grimaced, leant over and offered her his hand. With a grumble she took it and used Cloud to haul herself out of bed, shifting from foot to foot on the cold wood of the floor. "Just remember this only comes once a year. And this precise situation comes only every eight."

"I know." Aeris muttered as she rested against him and let her arms hang loose by her sides.

"And it's always nice to see our friends."

"True." Cloud was not as warm as he was in bed, but still hotter than the air. They needed to move and get ready. But moving now meant leaving the warmth of him behind. Not a lot of ways out of that. "But I can't get comfortable as easily."

He chuckled, the noise reverberating in his chest. "Well, we probably disrupt most of them in the same way."

"Point." She sighed and at last pulled away from him. "We'll have to make up for it after."

"Definitely." Aeris smiled at him for a moment, contemplated a pre-arrival making up for it and decided against it. She padded to the stairs, Cloud right behind her. According to the clock they only had about an hour until Tifa was due to arrive; probably best to be ready before then. Probably.


	6. In the Club

The Wutai princess was as good as her word; she slipped them both out of the palace, through the streets and to somewhere far more interesting. Interesting in this context meant a place that served drinks and lacked most of social graces found in the court. As such, Rinoa Heartilly (a carefully considered cover for her real name) was now rubbing shoulders - and other body parts - with a mass of others in a run-down club out in the city where the air was warm, full of perfume, deodorant, sweat, fake smoke and alcohol.

Everyone was drinking, dancing, embracing without a care in the world as music reverberated the air. No clue on the colour of the walls beneath the shifting sequences of tinted lights as they pulsed in time with the music. The carpets were sticky in places and the dancefloor stained with fallen drinks.

The whole experience was exhilarating; so different to the stuffy formality and carefully measured responses in speech and body-language demanded of her during the day. No dry discussions of possible suitors and no infuriating small talk. No layers of tedious build-up to ask simple (if important) questions. Not much talk here at all really; conversation consisted of raised voices close to someone else's ear. Few of those looked like meaningful conversation and more like preludes to heavy petting.

This - all of this - suited her. Nothing like the palace. Here the drinks were all cheap spirits in plastic glasses mixed with even cheaper non-alcoholic beverages; a stark contrast to the crystal decanters whose contents she sampled in sneaky sips when there was no one to catch her at the liquor cabinet. Here people dressed to accentuate the shape of their bodies, to draw attention to them. No one in the palace would ever let her wear something with a skirt so short or a neckline cut so low. Or let her have her hair loose like this. Or paint her lips so red.

Life in the palace was usually so regimented, controlled and run to someone else's notion of what perfection was. Thus Aeris Gainsborough would never come to somewhere like this. Nor had she; instead a woman named Rinoa Heartilly drank and danced the night away.

The evening wore on agreeably, the music booming, the song lyrics incomprehensible and unimportant. In between the drinking and the dancing came a certain amount of fending off attentions from overly sweaty men. Yuffie helped out with that too. Well, Shake; Yuffie's own alias for this escapade. How many times had she done this before? Yuffie was well-versed in navigating the space.

Aeris met a few gazes and shot the odd grin back. Perhaps later she could take someone other than Yuffie to the dance floor and see what that might lead to. There were a good number of attractive men and women here. Still a few too many men who leered and followed her every movement (she was now a shade anxious about leaning over too far. Aeris tugged at her skirt periodically after catching some decidedly intent gazes directed below her waist. Little she could do about the attention they gave her chest), but she could ignore them in favor of the others who caught her eye. Aeris was considering sauntering over to a girl by one of the many bars when someone interesting walked in the front door.

Prince Cloud. Amongst her many possible suitors, he was the least objectionable choice. If she had to marry a prince - if she had to marry at all - she would at least not object to winding up with him. Perhaps he was perfectly pleasant and polite. A safe, dependable spouse. And perhaps that would hold an appeal at some point. But like so much else in her life, it was the inevitability and the lack of choice that rankled.

Cloud remained a possible husband but from her parent's recent discussions he was nowhere close to the favorite among the many contenders. The discovery of his presence here was unlikely to do him any favors in that regard either. Why had he also come here? Was he as bored with life in the court as she and Yuffie?

His attempt at subterfuge seemed more along the lines of a double-bluff than her own; no one would assume the man with the absurd blond spiky (briefly orange as he passed under one of the coloured lights) hair could possibly be Prince Cloud - despite the lack of any other disguise elements.

Aside from the hair, his outfit drew little attention; light-coloured shirt, dark trousers. A near identical outfit to every other man in this place. If not for the hair he would blend right in. Beside him was the grizzled chief engineer of the Nibel kingdom; the pilot of the royal airship. She never had caught his name despite the man's reputation as the one of the finest in his field. Like Yuffie with her, chances were he was Cloud's ticket here.

She relayed her discovery to Yuffie as she kept an eye on the prince. Cloud was stood a little stiffly beside the bar, his hands gingerly tapping at those spikes in odd, unguarded moments while the engineer seemed to be ordering drinks. Yuffie caught Aeris's arm as she made a move towards the pair. "Ae- Rinoa." She glanced around. As if anyone could really eavesdrop in the cacophony of music and movement. "You're going to get caught."

For a moment Aeris paused; Yuffie had done this some unknown number of times without detection. She could play it safe and steer clear of the prince. But where was the fun in that? Aeris pulled her arm free from her companion's grasp. "I'll be fine. If either of them knew who I was then his guardian-" She nodded at the pilot. "-would have gotten him out of here. No sense risking a scandal."

"Look who's talking." Yuffie stared at her for a moment and Aeris held her gaze as she took a step back. "You're not going to give up are you?" Aeris shook her head and Yuffie sighed, more seen than heard over the music. She said something that sounded like 'tempting fate' with a glance over to the bar.

"You brought me here to have fun. I'm going to enjoy myself," Aeris said drawing closer again to Yuffie who frowned. Aeris repeated herself as she glanced towards the prince; he was still there. "It's not like we've even met before. Okay? He won't have any idea who I am. And-" She grinned. "Who would expect the princess to be in a place like this?"

"Who'd expect the prince?" Yuffie shouted back. "What happens if you do end up engaged to him after tonight?" Aeris shrugged and backed away; something to deal with if it ever happened. Yuffie threw up her hand in defeat; Aeris shot her another grin and walked towards the bar. Cloud's guardian murmured something to him and headed away. Perfect opportunity.

Aeris acted as casual as possible and leant on the bar beside Cloud. Not a moment too soon; others in the club had already begun peering at him appreciatively. She smiled, toying with a stray ringlet of hair when he looked at her. Another smile when he looked back a second time; her fingers lingered on the black choker at her throat. This time Cloud returned her smile. She straightened up and brought her lips to his ear. "Buy me a drink?"

Cloud nodded. "Sure. What are you having?"

She shrugged. "Same as you?"

* * *

Cloud - or rather Squall Leonhart (seriously?) - was unexpectedly easy to talk to. Even with the added detriment of the pulsing music and the prying eyes of the strangers all around them. His cover was about as good as hers; no real mistakes in his speech, no confusions or mistakes with his assumed name. Like her, he spun his own fake life and insinuated a regular attendance at this club.

They shared a round of drinks and then another; Aeris toyed with the stem of her wine glass in between sips. Maybe he thought she did not notice the moments his gaze slid from her eyes to her chest. Maybe he thought it sheer coincidence that she leant a bit lower while resting on the bar. She insisted on buying the next round and once they both drained their glasses suggested moving to the dance floor.

The suggestion provoked a touch of hesitance from Cloud but she took his hand and did not let go. "It'll be fun," she said, and guided him into the crowd as the next song began. He might not be the best dancer but he was far from the worst. Cloud's movements were a little stiff, and he had an unfortunate tendency to put a touch too much effort into his movements. Trying to mimic those around him instead of letting the beat of the song guide him.

He relaxed as they danced, as she took his hands and tried her best to guide him. Aeris lost track of Yuffie for a while; a glimpse of her in the crowd deep conversation with a tall, pale man. Best leave her to her own devices; Aeris left the dance floor with Cloud for another drink.

They repeated the pattern a further two times. More drinks, more dancing, the world now pleasantly out of focus and fuzzy, Aeris more daring than before. Cloud's guardian had been gone an age now. Not that she minded; the longer he was absent, the more time she could spend with Cloud and she was reluctant to let it end before it had to. Her next drink was a sweet, creamy liqueur and she thrilled at the flirtatious opportunity it presented. "Ever tried it?" she asked after telling Cloud its name in response to his quizzical look.

Cloud frowned. "Not that I can recall."

Aeris grinned, swigged her glass and pulled Cloud towards her until their lips touched. His mouth was so soft; as much as she was trying to tease him it was impossible to stop kissing him now she started. She gasped as he kissed her back, as his hand slid across the exposed skin of her back. Closer; she needed to be closer to him. He looked as flushed as she felt when he finally pulled away from her. Aeris grinned and toyed with the collar of his blue shirt as she took another sip of her drink. "Do you want another taste or-" She grinned a little more. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

A hitch in his breathing and a deeper flush; his pupils dilated. "I'd like that." Cloud cleared his throat. "The somewhere else bit I mean. But first, I think we should be more honest about who we are."

She pressed against him; he stiffened at the contact, his breathing growing heavier as she kissed up his throat to his ear. "By all means, Prince Cloud," she murmured. Odd; he did not react to the revelation. "I know exactly who you are," she added in a breathy voice beside his ear.

He moved his head close to hers. "And I know who you are; Princess Aeris."

Aeris blinked at him a prickle of worry descending her spine. Had she really been so obvious? "What are you-?" No point trying to dispute his words now. "How long have you known?"

Cloud coughed. "Since the moment I got here. I noticed you dancing. And I was really glad you came to talk to me." He glanced away from her.

"So this all went as planned...?" She glanced around, searching for his companion.

He turned back to her and smiled. "Not at all. I asked Cid to bring me here but I didn't send him away if that's what you're thinking. Cid-" He cast around himself. "Okay, I have no idea where he is. And right now I don't care." Cloud took her hand. "I wanted to talk to you but I didn't know how to." His turned back to meet her gaze, the intense blue of his eyes wondrous. "I'd like to take you up on your offer. Unless my knowing the truth is off-putting?

Aeris shook her head, grinning in anticipation of later. "Oh no. Not at all." She shrugged. "Besides; tonight we're not prince and princess are we? We're just Squall Leonhart-"

"-and Rinoa Heartilly." He raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Right." She laced their fingers together, trailing her other hand down his chest. "So let's continue this somewhere else and see what happens."


	7. Sunrise

Cloud dozed not far from her feet, Tifa on the opposite side of the Tiny Bronco. The night flight had been long, but somehow Aeris was still not tired. She stood, her head out of the hatch and in the freezing air as the sky continued to lighten. The stars had already faded. Might be a good idea to take a break for a while. But before that she had to see it; her favorite moment while flying. The dawn of a new day, the moment the sun finally crested the horizon, as a brilliant gleam shone on the sea.


	8. Daily Routine

Every morning Aeris would wake at five on the dot, bleary-eyed but concious while most of the city around her still slumbered. She allowed herself a meagre fifteen minutes to wash, dress and breakfast. Cloud would be waiting - without fail - outside her front door, sword resting against his shoulder. Aeris smiled and nodded to him as she always did. No time for any further pleasantries; they both had jobs to do. Aeris set a brisk pace through the waking Rabanastre streets, the air filling with the sizzle of marinated meat cooking. She never needed to look back to check her companion was still following; Cloud was quiet but reliable, always had been.

Aeris made it to the Eastern gate by the time the clocks rang six, the streetlights winking out despite the pools of deep shadow remaining in the city. The gate guards knew her and Cloud from long years of this same routine; they were both waved out into the desert with only a cursory glance. She knew full well they assumed she was harmless; Cloud should present more of a concern for them, but experience established he was unlikely to cause problems.

The sand was still cold at this time of day and a faint chill lingered in the air. Perfect; the desert was at its best like this. Once, long ago when she was so much younger, so much naive and long before Cloud ever accompanied her, Aeris tried to make this same trip at a later point in the day. An almost unimaginable mistake now; the sun scorched the sand, scorched the air - and she almost suffered heat-stroke for her daring. Too little water and attempting to do too much under the bright sun. A horrible day; every movement took so much effort and she tired near immediately while sweat dripped from every part of her. That was not even considering the point where she had to fend off the monsters; nothing she could not handle but an exhausting extra effort on top of everything else.

In the aftermath her friends suggested waiting until the evening, and once she might have considered it. Cloud, on the other hand, advised against such a course of action when he started accompanying her. While the night-time would be cooler, working in the swiftly descending darkness was starkly different to working in the growing light of dawn. Riskier too given the multitude of less than pleasant desert creatures that would rouse under cover of night. And it was much easier to stay home as the night drew on; heat tended to linger in the Rabanastre streets even as the stars brightened. Some nights were as hot as the day and as exhausting to move around in. Her trips to the desert were vastly more refreshing in the early morning light.

Aeris made her way down from the gates, venturing off and away from the broken remnants of an old road leading who knew where. She stayed close to the rocky outcrops as the desert sloped down from the city. Behind her Cloud quickened his pace; she increased her own forcing him to hurry a little more. A childish impulse, but it was not as if there was anything to worry about at present: a few wolves content to eye her at a distance but not pay either of them any much attention. Best not to be too complacent though; there were other risks out here.

Aeris ventured a little further out from the city than the norm, headed for a more distant patch of flowers. Tomorrow she would revisit one of the closer crops to check on how well they were regrowing. Cloud followed in her wake as she approached the burst of colour from the flowers clinging to life out here. Moments after she reached the relevant plateau, the sun crested the horizon and bathed the desert in pale light. Perhaps an hour until the air began to heat up. Two hours until it would be unbearable.

She settled on her knees beside the flowers and carefully picked them one at a time. Always a slight sense of guilt as she did this, a worry that she might be taking too many too often. Far better for her to leave the flowers to grow by themselves and remain in their natural state. But she needed to eat and she needed to pay rent. And she needed to pay Cloud for his services (as much as he continued to insist he would do it all for free). This - for now - was her life and while some of the circumstances might frustrate, they at least allowed her to keep on going, keep on living.

Cloud paced around the area as she worked. Most of the time his presence might feel unnecessary but it would be a mistake to dismiss him. There had been the odd occasion when some night-time species considered a morsel before slumbering; Cloud's sword made short work of it. Also advisable not to to overlook the possibility of some day-time species considering breakfast either. She left him to his pacing; he was good at his job.

The hour passed and the second was unnecessary; Aeris took the pile of flowers and made her way back up to the city. Cloud trailed after her until she was through the gate. There they parted ways for now; her to sell her wares in the market, and him to provide similar bodyguard duties to whoever else needed it. Tomorrow after their next visit to the desert, they would meet up in the evening to share a meal; a celebration for both of them making it through another week. For now – she had flowers to sell.


	9. Oddly Familiar

Cloud and Aeris had been walking all day with no specific destination in mind, they were content to wander and see where they wound up. Somehow they found themselves retracing an old journey, but on this repeat of the past there was less of a need to catch up to an elusive quarry who remained forever ahead of them. They stopped wherever they needed to - the clump of trees seemed perfect. There was still some time before night-fall; the sun not even touching the horizon yet, but it would be best to set up camp before the night grew cold. That or blunder around in the dark. Cloud's enhanced vision would help, but there remained the risk of increased monster attacks under the cover of darkness. "Something about this place feels familiar," Cloud said as he shrugged the backpack from his shoulders.

Now he mentioned it, the trees were somehow familiar. Had that influenced their reason to stay here? That there was something more than the simple logic to utilising the cluster of trees as a screen and not setting up camp right out in the open, making themselves a target for anything or anyone in the vicinity? "You might be right," Aeris dropped her backpack and flopped onto the ground beside him. A wide area in the middle of the copse. Not even close to dense enough to entirely hide them from the outside, but enough of a barrier to feel safer now they were behind it. A strange sense there; that she should know and recognise this place. But why? "When was the last time we came this way?"

Cloud frowned. "A while back. But I don't think we camped here."

"No," Aeris agreed. But they must have come into the circle of trees for good reason. Had they stopped by this place on some walk from Junon? No. Something else. The answer was there on the edge of her memory and almost within her grasp. Junon. It had something to do with Junon - somehow. "Maybe the first time we went to Junon?" she said. Perhaps saying it out loud would jar the memory loose. Something about Junon and their arrival in the city. Aeris frowned at the grass around her. It did not seem to help her recall.

"Junon, Junon," Cloud murmured. "It was something related to that." He nodded to himself.

"Not Fort Condor?" Aeris asked and shook her head. The name did not resonate in memory the same way the city's did. She cast around but the towering structure was not visible from here. Even now in the post-Mako world, the inhabitants of the fort kept to themselves and remained wary of outsiders. No. Junon should be the focus. If her bearings were correct, it should be right over there.

Despite the thinness of the treeline, it was entirely possible to forget that the second largest city on the Planet would normally be visible at this distance, a place where traces of mako still clung to bricks and fabric despite the passage of many years. The proximity was a small comfort despite their decision to camp; while they were both experienced with surviving outdoors and fending off monster attacks, should anything go wrong, should some emergency arise that not resolvable by first aid or curative materia, at least it was not far to someone and somewhere who could provide shelter and medical supplies. Fort Condor for absolute emergencies; Junon for anything else.

Cloud turned in a slow circle. "I think we came here the first time you left Midgar. And then-"

"Oh!" Aeris sat up and grinned, the memory sparking. "I've got it." She leapt to her feet, bounced around and mimicked the actions of a dear friend. "'You spiky-haired jerk! One more time!'" Cloud stared at her blankly and Aeris sagged. "Guess I need to work on my impersonations." He still looked blank. "So. This clearing is the place where we first met a certain ninja..."

"Ah." Cloud's expression brightened and then swiftly darkened. He turned to appraise the clearing on the basis of the new information. "So this was where Yuffie first mugged me."

Aeris chuckled. "Yep. At least she's not here this time." She glanced over her shoulder and back to him. "Or is she?" she intoned in a portentous voice. Cloud seemed to take her question to heart a little too well and surveyed the treeline with suspicion. He seemed less than keen on a similar repeat encounter with Yuffie. Aeris grinned to herself and hauled the rolled up tent out of the bag; as if their friend would try such a thing. Well, admittedly it was not wholly far-fetched. But unlikely; Yuffie had better things to do than mug the unwary these days. "Come on; we should get the tent up before it gets dark…"


	10. Captain Gainsborough

"You want to hear the tale of Captain Gainsborough do ya? Do I know the tale? Perhaps. Perhaps I remember enough to tell ye. Perhaps a drink might help me remember? A mug of grog will do just fine. Don't mind if it has pepperoni in it or not. Heh. Don't look so confused. Pirate joke. Ah. Thankee. Well, sit yourself down and get comfortable. Captain Gainsborough then. Short version is she was the best pirate there ever was. Ah, you want the long version do ya?

Aeris Gainsborough; that was her given name and she were like no other captain. Not jus' 'cause of how good she was at pirating or how she got her crew so loyal. Always more to her than you'd think. She had luck to spare. Some were convinced it was magic. Me? I don't quite believe it was higher powers or anything like that, but be foolish to ignore her knack for selecting the most profitable targets. Others believed in magics back then, but she avoided that kind of talk wherever she could.

The Captain tended to stand out by how she dressed. You see, she was unlike most other captains - hell, most other pirates period. And anyone else in that part of the world. Captain Gainsborough, she kept herself covered up even when in port, no matter how hot it got. Thinking back now, I wonder if perhaps that was part of the point, part of why she did it. That she wanted to be seen well in advance, to draw attention to herself. Ah, she was a sight.

Oh, you want to know? Well, Captain Gainsborough insisted on wearing this black hat with a wide brim. But she'd broken it so it folded down at the back and sides of her head. Always wore it; never saw her without that hat. She always wore the darkest colours too. The lightest I ever seen her in was this bright navy blue. Just a little joke, don't mind me. Weapons-wise, she favoured short blades and knives instead of cutlasses and flintlocks. Ah, she was the most unusual pirate I or anyone else had ever seen. But few of those she faced in combat ever got the better of her - and those that did never managed to land anything close to a fatal blow. And she'd always come back for them in the end. Always.

Some got jealous of course. A familiar saying through-out our community of ne'er do wells; none could argue with or hope to match Captain Gainsborough's success or her wits. She captained this run-down ship called The Highwind. Looked like it was not fit for anything beyond scrap but for her it moved like a ship twenty years newer. Heh; maybe higher powers would explain that at least, but her? She put her faith in her crew. In any case, she was more than happy to tangle with the navies of the world without blinking an eye. She took on the old money too - even them that was part of, or allied to, the Shinra family.

Huh? Oh, of course they tried to get back at her. They wanted revenge- No, they wanted a reason to strike at her I guess. Seemed to just want any excuse to do it. She weren't the least bit afraid; all but handed them a reason herself. Fools that they were, they could not see she was sailing rings around them, and everything was according to her plan. Any attempt to box her in, overthrow her or cultivate a mutiny; they all ended in failure. No matter how many times the plan went wrong, none of them ever seemed to learn their lesson. Lot of talk about how they was always ready and willing to try one more time. You can understand to a point of course. They only had to be successful once.

Maybe that was why she had no one waiting for her in the ports. Her crew would find loved ones or hook-ups in whatever place they made anchor. Not her. No one visited her when she landed, and she made no move to visit any other. Yeah, maybe she was just overly cautious. Maybe she just wanted to ensure that there was no one that a knife could be held to the throat of, or might be willing to turn on her for enough coin.

Her crew she allowed to indulge itself as they would though. No sense in frustrating them was there? Ah- Now this is not widely known. Come closer. You see, despite that restraint she showed, there was always these rumours about her First Mate - a Mister Strife he was. A great many people familiar with Captain Gainsborough and her crew insisted that their relationship might be more than it seemed. Oh, people asked her of course. 'Oh, Captain Gainsborough, what is it with you and Mister Strife?' But she'd never answer that. Just smiled and changed the subject. To a great many, that was as much confirmation as they needed. Convincing enough for me; where Mister Strife went was always where Captain Gainsborough was going. But did it matter? In the end that suspicion helped none of her enemies; he was never her weak point.

Things did get complicated for Captain Gainsborough as she got older. See, in the early days she was happy to go wherever and attack whoever she was paid to. Pay her to raid the big navy ships and she would; plundering gold, jewels, livestock, cargo of any kind. As her reputation got bigger, well, no one needed to pay her anymore. She was able to select her own targets and seize whatever she wanted. Always independent and why shouldn't she be? Her success was overwhelming. But I think while plundering lost its appeal, the sea never did. She never wanted to stop sailing - not entirely. But our bodies don't last forever - and she was as mortal as any of us. Came a point when even she'd admit she wasn't young anymore. Her stamina faded and with it her ability to keep on fighting, to sail through the night without sleep. It all became more than she could cope with. She needed to change.

Never underestimate Captain Gainsborough. Another vital lesson from my time. There remained other avenues open to the Captain. The pirate's system of trade and exchange, the conversion of ill-gotten gains into something legitimate was something she found wanting. She took over the process, built her own system. All started with the founding of her own company. Small at first, operating out of jus' one port, but over time she expanded until she had influence everywhere, braches in every major port. A sterling success to some, but not close to enough for Captain Gainsborough. Oh, no. We soon found out just how high her goals were set.

She continued to roam the seas, continued to explore and see what there was in the world. And all the while she did that, other crews, other captains conducted the actual piracy for her. Only cut she took was as she processed those ill-gotten gains. Made sense she'd want a base of operations - perhaps something close to a home. But Captain Gainsborough? She was not the type to settle for simply being in one port or another. Nothing so mundane for her. Her power and wealth continued to grow until at last she achieved her goal.

I won't keep you guessing what she was after. There came the day when she was able to demand her promised land; an island of her own. Ah, you don't believe me do you? And after I told you whole story. Doesn't matter. You don't have to believe me. Foolish not to, but no one can make you believe anything. But one last word to the wise; you might want to look into who controls this particular island you're on."


	11. Romantic Cliche

Arrival in Costa del Sol was a little awkward. Or it might be more accurate to describe their specific arrival at the hotel suite in Costa del Sol 'a little awkward'. Possibly a lot awkward - especially for Tifa. Somewhere on the trip over to the resort, she hatched the plan of doing the ultimate honeymoon cliche - carrying her spouse across the threshold of the room. For most couples this would be easily managed, romantic and fun. For Tifa however, the plan had to factor in both of her spouses when they agreed to it. The extra person in their situation forced a slight change to expectations.

Tifa staggered down the hall to their room cradling Cloud and Aeris. "Forward a bit," Aeris called and she swiped at the relevant keyhole with one of the room keys.

"You can put me down if it's easier," Cloud murmured crushed somewhere against Aeris's side. Tifa took another shaky step forward.

"It's fine," Tifa muttered through what sounded like gritted teeth. "Just... hurry up."

"Almost. Almost. There!" Aeris got the key lined up in the same moment Tifa staggered towards the door and squashed her against it. Aeris tried vainly to push back, gave up then twisted the key around and jammed the handle down. The door gave way immediately and sent Tifa stumbling into the room. The combined force of the three of them sent the door flying back against the wall with a loud crack. Hopefully nothing damaged, but there were more pressing concerns; Tifa had too much momentum to even try and stop. She hurried forward with uncontrolled speed.

Tifa stumbled to a halt beside the double bed and with a deep groan dropped both Aeris and Cloud onto it. The two of them hit the mattress with a crunch of bed springs and they bounced up a moment later. Aeris flipped over a few times until she came to rest by the headboard. Cloud did not fare quite so well and wound up crashing onto the floor with nothing but the rug to cushion his fall. Tifa looked between them for a long moment, her arms hanging limp at her sides. "I did it," she said with a triumphant grin. The smile faded. "Going to sleep now. Night." She fell forward onto the bed and remained lying face down.

"Don't be like that," Aeris said and squirmed around to a more comfortable position. She planted a kiss on the back of Tifa's head and hurried to check on the door. There was a dent in the wall, but if she squinted and turned some of the lights off, it did not look too bad. Especially if she didn't look at it directly - and from this particular angle. Hopefully no one would notice until they were all long gone. Anyway. Practical concerns for now; she dragged their bags in from the hall and locked the door. A quick dart across the room and she swept open the curtains. The blazing hot Costa del Sol sunlight burst in through the window. The sky was blue, the sea was blue. The sand was golden and the sea air buzzed with the excited chatter of other holiday-makers. "What should we do first?"

"Sleep," Tifa murmured from the bed. "You two are amazingly heavy when carried together."

"Sleep, sleep or-?" Cloud finally sat up, peering over the edge of the bed at both Aeris and Tifa. He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Tifa made an exasperated noise and rolled over onto her back. "Plenty of time for that later." Aeris smirked; she wandered back towards the bed. "We've only just gotten here and-" She ran her hand along Tifa's arm; her wife made a growling noise and ineffectually flailed at her. "-and I think Tifa is in no shape for any more exertions right now." Tifa made a show of nodding.

Cloud nodded. "So...?"

"So-" Aeris glanced between her wife and husband. "I propose we get changed- No getting distracted," she pointed to each of her spouses in turn. Tifa waved disinterestedly. "And go and investigate the beach. So we can swim-" She gestured to herself and Cloud. "And Tifa can lie on the beach if she wants." Tifa put her thumb up.

"Sounds good," Cloud said and started undoing his shirt.

"Good. That way Tifa has a chance to recover and we can amuse ourselves until later. Because at some point today I would very much like to sleep with both of you," Aeris said with a grin.


	12. The Fire Dancer of Cosmo Canyon

This eternal bonfire in Cosmo Canyon and what it represented felt - at times - like the culmination of everything that brought Aeris to this point. If nothing else, her obsession with it had doubled and perhaps tripled ever since she clawed her way back to life from deep within the Lifestream, scorching and transmuting herself anew out of her own ashes and the dead remains of the city of her ancestors.

Every night since Avalanche saved the world, it was something more than duty that compelled Aeris to return to the roaring bonfire. Even if she had not become a guardian here, her fascination would have driven her back there. She was never able to stay away for long. For most nights - at least those in Spring, Summer and Autumn - she had company; Cloud and Tifa were always welcome and more than willing to join her beside the flames. But despite her innate warmth, her partners preferred to stay huddled in the room during the Winter months and when the few rain storms the region experienced hit the settlement.

Aeris never held their decision against them - nor did they ever begrudge her obsession; the fire enticed and consumed her attention like nothing else in the world - as much as she loved them both. They both knew that and loved her regardless. She would never deny the best nights were the ones when they would join her; the three of them together as they took their turns tending the fire.

This was her role now, the occupation unlooked for all her life, but somehow perfectly suited for her. It felt something like fate when she discovered its existence, an inevitable discovery given her life long obsession. Fire had been part of her mother's life too. Could mother have done what she did? Perhaps. Even as a child, there was no one she trusted or was otherwise able to answer that question.

She still danced despite her new role as guardian. Her best performances were in the summer months when her audience could linger without suffering the cold; her old moves and routines like a second nature. Whole sequences and flourishes remained unchanged from those conceived during her time back in Midgar. Back when her major goal was to keep an audience watching for as long as possible. And at least now she had mastered her candle trick and performed the routine on larger and larger scales with more and more candles. Same premise as it ever had been - to light a single candle and then flick the flame from one wick to the next.

Her flourishes with pois and staves were little changed, and she delighted in igniting their flammable material at unexpected moments while she whirled and weaved her props around her. But in addition to those old and endlessly familiar routines, Aeris added in new moves and wove them seamlessly into her act. Unlike before, an ever present fire source lay nearby and she drew liberally on the Cosmo Candle for bigger and more dramatic effects.

Fountains and cascades of flames shot up high into the sky; the resulting firery rain safely deflected before it could strike any of her audience. While other artists would use clay, paint, oil as their medium; where people would dance and act; she used fire. Aeris could weave flames effortlessly around herself in displays unlike any other fire dancer on the Planet. In some moments fire flowed like water, dripping and pooling around her; in others she manipulated it like a solid yet malleable substance. Fire responded to her every whim and movement.

It was instrumental in her nemesis', in Sephiroth and Jenova's, defeat. The man, no, the thing that he possessed and forced into humanoid shape fell to her and her companion's efforts. In the end - at the top of the world - even he could not withstand the onslaught she could martial with a snap of her fingers and a gesture. She was one of many guardians of the flame. She would guard the fire with her life. She was the Fire Dancer of Cosmo Canyon.


	13. Career Change

Aeris inviting herself on Cloud's deliveries was an idle fancy. The first time anyway. A simple curiosity of what it was like to roar around on a motorbike, to drive so far, hand over a package, and then come back. Cloud took her request in his stride, put up no objections and asked no questions. Soon Aeris found herself clinging to his waist on the back of his bike while it roared across the landscape on his next job. He probably assumed that would be the end of her curiosity.

Not in the slightest. Aeris's announcement that she would accompany him on a second delivery surprised Cloud but he acquiesced. As he did on the third occasion. Then came the first of his overseas deliveries in a while and she was, of course, going with him for that. It was a chance to see a whole new land and new people. Shame that she saw so much of it as a blur.

But there was at least some opportunity for a better look at the new location. That longer distance delivery forced the pair to make a stop-over at an inn along the way. Aeris took the opportunity to explore the area during the twilight hours before bed and then again in the early morning light before timing forced them on their way again. Not long enough all things considered. She needed more and she was not going to stop now.

Moving from place to place like this helped curb a desire Aeris had never quite been able to articulate before. Her need to do something, to find something to occupy either her hands or her mind. That urge faded away when she zipped around the country with Cloud. Now she could articulate the feeling; a need to move, a need to explore. An unquenchable thirst for the new wherever she could find it.

Her accompanying Cloud soon became expected and second nature; still no objections or protests to her presence on his deliveries. He answered every question she asked without impatience; perhaps it was little beyond a way of keeping himself awake on longer trips. Perhaps he was happy to answer her and have her keep him company. In any case her curiosity never seemed to trouble him.

And so it went on until one, almost trivial, incident changed their dynamic forever; Cloud caught a cold. Nothing life-threatening; it was merely a common, every-day illness. But it still made Cloud's lungs wheeze and his head throb with pain. Cloud insisted he had a delivery to complete and needed to get moving; Aeris disagreed and confined him to bed. He objected; the delay of a day or more was simply unacceptable to the business.

Aeris insisted he stay, noting both his streaming nose and the unsteadiness of his movements when he managed to get standing. Cloud was in absolutely no kind of shape for a long ride with cold air blasting around him. But, he insisted, what about the delivery? Aeris's eventual solution was simple; she would make the delivery in his place and be back in time to heat up some soup for lunch. Cloud was reluctant, but she insisted - and eventually prevailed. He needed rest and warmth above all else. And had she not been on more than enough deliveries by now? Aeris knew full well where to go; the address was clear and easy to locate on a map.

Thanks to her previous bike rides with Cloud, Aeris already had a complete set of suitable protective gear. But despite all her assurances, being the only one on the bike; having control over the balance; steering; those were all a little odd at first. No one else with her and no Cloud to block the rushing wind as she rode the bike. The moment passed and she drove on alone; the bike responding to her movements without problem. Midgar faded into the distance behind her and, almost before she could blink, she arrived in Kalm. The customer looked at her with some confusion when she knocked on his door; he expected Cloud just like every other time. Aeris smiled and politely informed him that Strife Delivery Service was considering expansion and a second driver. She shot the man a smile, thanked him for his custom and headed for home.

Difficult to stop thinking about that spur of the moment comment. She broached the subject to Cloud when he was feeling better. With a second driver, they could handle more deliveries. Earn more money. Cloud did not take much persuading, though it was hard to not to feel a little guilty when she discovered the sheer cost of purchasing that second motorbike. Cloud merely shrugged and insisted they would make the money back soon enough. And it would all be ultimately worth it.

Strife Delivery Service's two drivers went into business together. More loads to the same destination. Multiple destinations over the same time-frame. Sometimes they both roared along the roads together. Other times they parted outside Midgar with a 'see you soon' and raced off to the opposite sides of the world. And on occasion they were able to catch up with each other on the road, glad for a chance to find an inn and share a bed again. Separately and together, the two of them journeyed across the world for as long as they were able.


	14. Inspirational Foliage

Aeris spotted the flower shop during one of her early, explorative wanders through the city that was now her home. Plants; something she had not considered before. Maybe she could get something for her still somewhat spartan apartment. "Hi," the man behind the counter said when she closed the door behind her. She replied in kind, gaze lingering on him. He had blue eyes and blond spiky hair; not the typical florist look. The man lifted his head, caught her gaze for a moment and right went back to arranging flowers in a vase. Aeris shot him a smile when he glanced back again and then she began wandering the interior.

She paused beside different flowers when they caught her attention. The chaotic blend of floral scents was quite intoxicating and the owner (was he the owner?) was able to answer all her questions without hesitation when she called them out. He did, however, look a little shocked when she returned to the counter with a cactus. "Unusual choice."

Aeris shrugged. "Flowers never last all that long. Don't get me wrong," she added quickly when the man's face fell a little. "I love flowers. But right now I felt like something a bit different. Something resilient."

The man shrugged, handed over her change, put the cactus in a paper bag, and bid her a good day.

* * *

The cactus looked good on Aeris's window sill. The plant was amazingly low maintenance and, in an additional plus, remained green all year around. Two weeks later she passed by the same flower shop on a different errand, and, on a whim, went in again. She and the man exchanged pleasantries - and like last time, she wandered the shop seeing what would take her fancy. This time she settled on one of the varieties of insect eating plant; the type with a hinged jaw formed of two semi-circle sections, green on the outside; red on the inside. Also not what the man expected, but again he merely shrugged. This plant - technically some complex plant name in a dead language - Aeris decided to call Chomp Daisy much to the man's bemusement.

Aeris sat Chomp Daisy on the window sill beside the cactus. She singularly failed to attract any flies no matter how many buzzed through Aeris's home as the seasons shifted towards summer. Or at least CD never managed to catch any when she was watching. Did she need to feed it herself if it did not catch anything? Something to find out at some point. Maybe the guy in the flower shop would know. Next time she found herself in the vicinity she would ask. For now the plant served its purpose; Aeris spent a few moments each day admiring her growing plant collection. Each time she would rouse herself after having procrastinated quite enough and set to work on continuing her novel.

* * *

Aeris double-took while out food shopping about a month later. The man with the blond hair and the blue eyes, that same one from the flower shop, was in the supermarket. In the frozen food section. Buying a whole bunch of microwaveable meals for one. Aeris grinned and nudged into him as he stepped back from the fridge unit. "Hi there."

The man blinked at her. "Oh, hi. Cactus lady."

"Cactus lady?" She considered him for a moment.

"Chomp Daisy Owner then?" he grinned.

Aeris shrugged. "I think the first is slightly better. Not terrible at least. How's your business going?"

"Pretty well," he said nodding. "People always need flowers. Well," he said after a pause. "They don't necessarily need flowers, but there are plenty of occasions when they're called for."

"So you're doing pretty well," Aeris said. The man nodded. "Glad to hear it."

"How about you? Whatever it is that you do?" the man asked.

"Ah, I write." She mimed tapping at a keyboard and sauntered away to pluck something random from the nearest shelf, the man keeping pace with her. "Some days it goes well, some days not so good."

The man was silent a moment. "What kind of days are they when you come to my shop?"

"Those are the bad days." That answer seemed to concern him. "But they help with the good days. Both times when I bought a plant, I took it home and I was able to write some more right away. Admittedly I think the walk helps too, but the plants are helpful to stare at while I think. Maybe the more plants, the better or faster I'll write." About a necromancer resurrecting various skeletons - including dragons - by controlling plants to bind the bones together and her quest to overthrow the corrupt rulers of her land. Still very much a work in progress.

"Glad I could help out," the man said a little uncertain of himself. "Or at least, glad my plants could."

"Both have been very helpful, thank you." Aeris bowed. A quick glance around; no one close to them right this second. "There is something else you could help me with. You can say no if you want, and in any case I'm still going to patronize your shop - like I said it helps me - but... I've not been in the area that long and I'm still learning where everything is. I mean, I know where your shop is and this place and some touristy destinations. But not much else. Any chance you could show me around at all? Maybe join me for dinner or something?"

The man's eyes widened. "Like a date?"

She smiled, a pleasurable jolt shooting through her. "That depends on how the dinner goes. But maybe." That got a smile out of him. "Is that a yes then?"

"Sure."

"Good." She offered him her hand. "I'm Aeris."

"Cloud," he replied and took her hand.


	15. Annual Junior Woodchucks Camping Trip

Summer had finally arrived and with it came the annual Junior Woodchucks camping trip. A week out in the forest with friends - the highlight of Aeris's summer. Possibly even the year. Aeris had been too excited to sleep for close to a week now, succumbing at random points of the day to inevitable exhaustion. Her terrible, irregular sleep patterns almost lead to her oversleeping; she had been frantically shaken awake by Mom with a mere half an hour before the meet-up. Barely enough time to wash, have breakfast, pick up her bag and hurtle across the foothills at a sprint. Thankfully she was not last to arrive; racing up the final stretch, Aeris overtook the conspicuous purple form of Yzma.

Kronk's old 'friend' still seemed determined to slink to events at the last possible second; that was how she was. Aeris caught a snatch of Yzma's muttering when she passed the cat. Something about Kronk, revenge and llamas. Similar to her hisses at every other Junior Woodchuck meeting she ever attended.

"You made it!" Tifa cried when Aeris arrived at the group of campers. Aeris stumbled to a halt, flopped bonelessly to the ground and rolled on her back. Huge, panting breaths to recover from the sprint; Yzma's mutterings growing louder despite the chatter of the other Junior Woodchucks.

"We were worried you wouldn't get here in time," Cloud said. His concerned expression vanished beneath a wide grin.

"Cloud almost went looking for you," Tifa noted smirking at him. "I told him you wouldn't miss this even if the world had ended."

"You got that right." Aeris finally caught her breath and clambered to her feet, shooting them both a smile. Another breath. "But thanks. I almost didn't make it." Yzma had reached the group - or at least the vague orbit of the group and was keeping a careful distance from the children.

"Alright campers," Counselor Kronk boomed. Everyone turned; Kronk jogged up the slope his smile typically beaming. No one exhibited the same level of excitment for the Junior Woodchucks quite like Conselor Kronk. No one. "I hope you're all ready for another exciting trip to the campsite and a summer of fun!" The assembled woodchucks cheered with one exception. Aeris glanced around. Since she was in closest proximity, it was currently her turn remind to Yzma that she needed to engage in the activities - Counselor Kronk insisted. The cat's monotone 'Yeah' in response to Aeris nudging her with her foot was almost inaudible beneath the excited cheers of the other children. "All right!" Kronk said, somehow drawing himself up to new heights. And stopped. A panicked expression appeared on his face.

"My spinach puffs!" Kronk sprinted away from the campers in a blur of speed, heading back towards his house. The assembled campers giggled. Conselor Kronk was forever doing this kind of thing; starting cooking, forgetting he had done so - but at least he usually got to the oven before anything was badly burned. Kronk reappeared a few moments later, wafting at a tub filled with some green food. "I need to start leaving myself a note." He chuckled and stopped beside Yzma. "Hey look Yzma! Spinach puffs! Your favorite!"

Yzma made some curious hacking sounds and glared up at the counselor who took little notice of the cat's reaction. "Never liked your spinach puffs," she muttered. Kronk did not hear that either. He stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a percing whistle to Yzma's wincing discomfort. A squirrel bounded out of the nearby forest and chittered at Kronk.

"Good to see you again old buddy," Kronk said; he crouched down and held his arm out. The squirrel jumped onto him, scurried to his shoulder and stuck its tongue out at Yzma. She replied in kind; the squirrel chittered with amusement and returned to the crook of Kronk's arm. "Alright, now if I remember the rota, I think it is Scout Aeris's turn to ask for permission to enter the forest."

Everyone turned their attention to her. Aeris took a deep breath; she had been practicing the words since summer started. "Squeak squeaky, squeaken squeak- Ah," she paused and frowned. Kronk opened his mouth- And Aeris remembered the rest. "Squeaky squeak-squeakity squeak squeak squeak!"

The squirriel chittered agreeably, nodded its head and retrieved a balloon from somewhere in its fur. The creature filled the balloon with air and formed it into the shape of a llama. "That was perfect Scout Aeris! Big hand everyone for Scout Aeris!" Kronk moved closer and leant down beside her as the campers applauded. Yzma rolled her eyes. The squirrel held out the balloon with a chitter.

"Thank you Mister Squirrel!" Aeris said and took the balloon llama from its claws.

"Okay campers!" Kronk glanced around at them all. "Now we have permission from our woodland friend, we are free to travel to the-" His voice grew quieter, but was likely still audible for miles. "-secret Junior Woodchuck camping ground. Everyone find your buddy and keep a close eye on them," he added, his voice back at full volume. He paused a moment later and turned to Cloud, Aeris and Tifa. "Well, you three in your case." The odd number of campers necessitated that not everyone could be in pairs. A newcomer to the troop might have questions why one of them was not Kronk's buddy. But that suggestion was to miss that Mr. Squirrel was clearly already fulfilling the role. Or, the theoretical newcomer might ask, why not Yzma? A trickier issue. While Kronk repeatedly insisted the cat was harmless, he never let her pair up with another camper. Yzma was on her own - the one minor satisfaction she seemed to revel in.

"Okay, campers; move out!" Kronk ushered everyone past him and towards the forest trail. Aeris glanced back; Kronk had wandered back to Yzma and gently nudged the purple cat with his foot. Yzma slouched forward and at a slightly slower than necessary pace moved after the Junior Woodchucks who were heading for a summer vacation of adventure.


	16. Teasing Cloud

Aeris and Cloud were fortunate they preferred to sleep on different sides of the bed; Cloud favoured the left and Aeris preferred the right. Everywhere they stayed the two of them maintained the same arrangement - even when forced to cram together on a single bunk (fun enough near the start of their relationship; near unbearable when used to the other person and a certain amount of space in the bed). On one, semi-random occasion, Aeris teased Cloud about his preference; he was (apparently) supposed to be naturally and instinctively protective of her.

The comment came at the end of a long day when they had settled down to sleep for the night. The effective upshot of that was Cloud was not at his most coherent and the comment seemed to confuse him overly. Aeris explained the idea came from an article in the paper she came across by chance - the lifestyle section was full of things like this. Normally she would read and move on without another thought. But this one stuck with her - not for entirely good reasons.

The basic gist was that in terms of sleeping arrangements - whether in the bedroom or not - Cloud should automatically place himself nearer to the bedroom door in case of intruders and attack. Aeris was ready to dismiss the article for its very premise - and reading it further uncovered no additional reason to humor it for longer. Outdated and nuisance assumptions made about gender roles in a relationship. The article failed to convince Aeris, but even second hand, Cloud seemed to take it personally. There was some entertainment to be had in seeing Cloud floundering with worry. Hard for him to avoid his lack of adherence to theory; the bedroom door was on the right of the bed after all. Thus Aeris had placed herself closest to it when she slept.

(Aeris would note to others that she had always preferred sleeping on the right-hand side of any bed, and that thoughts of protection didn't factor into it at all. And why was she not expected to instinctively protect Cloud? Perhaps because the article was bunk)

Cloud's most viable - if still weak - defense rested near entirely on the room's built-in closet. Not a separate piece of furniture, the closet was part of one wall and opened to a small side room. And its door looked near identical to the bedroom's. Aeris played at unconvinced and insisted that similar doors in the same room did not count. Cloud sighed in exasperation and offered to swap sides with her. An unexpected response and not one she was keen on; Aeris really did prefer her side of the bed. In addition to her basic preference there was the fact that the mattress on her side was impressively firm despite years of use - still perfectly capable of cushioning her. Conversely, Cloud's side suffered from the memory foam sinking right down close to the wooden slats. Fine for him, but the situation sounded uncomfortable to her. Plus lying on Cloud's side of the bed would be to wind up in the hollow of his sleeping posture - and leave her a good inch or two lower than on her side. And that if they swapped back in the future, both sides would have a Cloud-shaped hollow.

Having now teased him long enough, Aeris relented and offered two choices:

1 - They could try and rearrange the room to fix the situation, or 2 - she would take responsibility for any surprise attacks made on them during the night.

Cloud quickly agreed to the second. Sensible; re-arranging the room was not going to go well with the size of the bed and the limited options for where to relocate it without blocking one or both doors. Unless they got a bunk bed. The idea held a lot of appeal, the notion also flustering Cloud until Aeris noted the existence of double bunk beds (which eliminated the solution posed by the bunkbed in the first place). A maybe for the future. For now it was impossible for Cloud to ignore that Aeris could defend both of them - in the unlikely event of intrusion. Providing said intrusion was not Sephiroth (who, if past behaviour held, was more than capable of walking right through the walls, thus rendering placement within the room with respect to the doors utterly meaningless), the two of them would be fine. Aeris let the matter drop and the couple continued much the same; him on the left, her on the right.

There were at least advantages to their respective sleeping positions. Both Aeris and Cloud favored lying on their left-hand side. This allowed Aeris to press up against him in the night and on lazy mornings when they could have a lie-in. Aeris would lounge, curled around Cloud, him inside her embrace while they both dozed contently. Bliss.


	17. Rising from the Ashes

Pain exploded through Aeris's mid-section. Her strength left her in an instant and she lurched forward, the movement abruptly halted by something that sent a torrent of agony blasting through her. The gleaming metal of what looked like a sword blade cut into the stone floor ahead of her. Where had that come from? Had it moved past her or beside her or- Through her. The blade protruded right out of her chest. Distant sounds of shouting and panic were somehow muted. There was someone talking behind her. Something important she still had to do, something else- But her eyelids were heavy. Despite every ounce of strength she could marshal, her eyes almost closed before something tugged her body backward, the movement lurching her head and shoulders up. Her eyes opened wide for an agonising moment. Cloud and Tifa staring at her in horror; she fell forward again, her eyes closing and the floor rushed towards her. The moment of impact never came.

Aeris fell into darkness. There was something green down below her. No. It could not end like this. Not now. Not after everything she had seen and done. After everything she still wanted to do, to see, to experience. Not after meeting all those people, seeing all those places. Not now before whatever was developing between her, Cloud and Tifa could reach any kind of conclusion. But what could she do? This was her return to the Planet; this was the point of her death. She was nothing but a falling consciousness, robbed of physical sensation; not even a sense of movement in her continuing descent. She could not move. In desperation she drew upon the comfort of fire.

Her constant companion, the innate ability she seemed to hold thanks to her heritage. Potentially powerful and destructive; her use for it had been for entertainment to the populace of Midgar. Nothing wrong with that; it let her keep on going, keep on living. Her fire could dazzle and enchant; it could also destroy. But could it save her? She drew on the flame, the spark still there, still under her control. Aeris urged a tendril of fire upwards. Foolish notion; fire could no more support her mass than air could. But then; she did not seem to have mass any longer. At the end of a life, humans returned to the Lifestream. At the end of their journey, Cetra found their promised land. She was both and neither end appealed at this juncture. Could she come back? Of course, but not without waiting who knew how long to be reborn. And with the certainty she would no longer be the same, and who knew where or how old Cloud and Tifa would be by then.

Her tendril struck something; she held tight and her descent slowed. Paused now between the green below and the darkness above. A burning lifeline threading back to somewhere else. To where everyone else was. What now? To remain like this would be still worse than to continue her descent. How to return? The phoenix. The guardian bird above Fort Condor. Aeris had been utterly fascinated with the creature during their visit. Somehow the creature used flames to drag itself back to life from nothing but a burnt out husk. All using fire. Fire was not simply a method of destruction. The fire was life. The tendril of flame flickered, something at the very tail end - at the point of anchoring - was burning. Carbon. There was carbon there. The fundamental building block of life.

Could she do this? Or perhaps more accurately, did she have anything to lose by trying?

At her urging the tendril intensified, the temperature rising to the extremes needed to split molecules. To forge the base chemicals of her body and create it anew. What was happening above; was she cannibalising her own body? Her burnt husk providing the essential components for a new form? Irrelevant. Her success was all that mattered. She shortened the tendril and Aeris ascended. The process continued, re-purposing anything the flame touched. Soon. The magnet-like draw of the Lifestream relaxed as she rushed ever upwards-

Aeris opened her eyes. Sephiroth stared at her in disbelief and raised his sword. Not this time. Without waiting another moment, she raised her arms (arms! She had remade her arms just as she remembered) and unleashed all the fire she could. Sephiroth did not have a chance to move- But this was not Sephiroth. The flames washed over his form but Sephiroth seemed little beyond a thin layer, a film of oil stretched across the something that mimicked the man's shape. The surface vaporized when the flames touched it; beneath was a twisted mass of alien flesh, crammed into the correct shape, but utterly wrong. The creature - the thing - barely had a chance to scream when fire consumed it and left nothing but ash in its wake. The Masamune clattered to the floor but already the Planet whispered that the threat was far from over.

"Aeris?" Tifa. She turned. Cloud, Barret, Nanaki, Cait Sith and Cid were staring towards the ceiling looking distinctly red. Tifa rushed forward and slammed into Aeris, arms tight around her. "We thought- How-?" Tifa trailed off and hugged her harder.

"Miss me?" Aeris murmured and hugged Tifa back. "What's up with all of you?"

"You are very naked," Yuffie said matter of factly.

Aeris smiled; her cheeks felt warm. Clothes had been the absolute last thing on her mind during her resurrection. Tifa coughed and stepped away. "I, er, I'm sure we can get you something to wear. For now?" She hunkered down and hastily sifted through her pack. A polite cough came behind Aeris. Vincent averted his gaze and held his cloak out to her.

"Thank you," Aeris said and pulled it closed around her. "I'm decent now guys!" Cloud nervously glanced over, still pink and nervous when she smiled at him. Not quite how she intended this kind of moment to go with either Cloud or Tifa, but at least the opportunity still existed. Her future was not yet gone.

Clearly they needed to get Aeris some new clothes when they hit the next settlement. For now she wore a mixture of spares. Tifa had picked up one of Aeris's bikinis by mistake which would have to suffice for underwear. A pair of Yuffie's shorts and Barret's vest in addition to Vincent's cloak gave her something like a semblance of clothing. Shoes gave them the biggest problem and they resorted to making something like clogs out of bandages and wood hacked from the nearby woods. "Not sure I want to give the cloak back," Aeris said and she took some experimental steps, sweeping the fabric around. With a lunge forward, she flared the cloak up so it whipped around Cloud and then Tifa a moment later.

The last Cetra remained alive with the people she loved.


	18. A Witch Named Aeris

Once upon a time there was a young girl called Aeris Gainsborough who would one day become a witch. A good witch, mind, but it that would not happen until she was older. Aeris was one of the rare people in the world who was in tune with the voice of the Planet, possibly even the last one. The most special girl in the world. But Aeris did not want to be special; she wanted to be like everyone else.

Ever since she was a little girl, Aeris had been nothing but excited and eager to see everything the world had to offer. Of all her greatest dreams was that she would one day fly through the air.

The Sky Witch captured Aeris for a time; an evil women named Jenova who came from a far-off land. Aeris's mother - Ifalna - saved her from the clutches of Jenova and her fortress in the ancient city of Midgard. Ifalna subdued Jenova and forced her into a deep sleep that lasted for fourteen years. But Ifalna was unable to defeat those loyal to Jenova; the Sky Witch's followers grew increasingly strong even in her absence and to Aeris's sorrow was able to slay her mother.

Aeris lived peacefully for a time in the shadow of Jenova's castle, so close she was often overlooked by Jenova's minions as they searched for her. A kind-hearted woman named Elmyra adopted Aeris after her mother's death. She had no daughter of her own and together they lived happily for fourteen happy years.

The happiness could not last; Jenova woke from her slumber and called her minions to her. The strongest of her servants was her son, a man named Sephiroth. He was a terrible man, someone who could capture and control people's hearts. One of his victims was Cloud Strife.

Sephiroth summoned Cloud to Jenova's court to do his bidding, but on the way there he met his childhood friend; Tifa. They had not seen each other in years, but thanks to Sephiroth he could not tell her where he was going. Cloud panicked but because Tifa was with him, he was able to muster the strength to resist the summons.

Tifa, Cloud and their friends tried to fight back against Jenova; after one such attempt they fell from Jenova's fortress and into Aeris's secret garden in time to save her from Jenova's minions. Together they fought them off and Aeris became friends with both of them. Neither Cloud nor Tifa wanted to involve Aeris in their plans, but she insisted on accompanying them. In the end they had to let her.

The three friends realised they were too weak to fight Sephiroth or Jenova and so set out off across the world to search for a way to defeat the Sky Witch forever. Little did they know, that even as they searched for an answer, Sephiroth defeated Jenova. He defied her and desired more strength. He wanted a way to take all the power of the Planet. His quest for knowledge crossed paths with Aeris's, and they fought on several occasions. To the horror of both Cloud and Tifa, Sephiroth was eventually able to take Aeris's life from her.

Sad and angry, Cloud and Tifa continued their search unsure of what to do without their friend beside them. But little did they known - before Sephiroth killed Aeris - she had been able to speak directly to the Planet itself. Aeris never gave up on her mission or lost her faith in her friends. They in turn never stopped trying to complete what she started.

And so at last Aeris became a witch, one who the Planet would aid. She helped without saying anything as Tifa undid Sephiroth's control over Cloud. She watched when Cloud and Tifa gave each other the courage necessary to face Sephiroth in time to stop the world coming to an end. Deep underground at the last, Cloud and Tifa were able to defeat Sephiroth.

Aeris helped too. She roused the ancient forces of the Planet in time for the last battle. Afterwards, Cloud and Tifa slumped exhausted as the world continued. They were happy that the fight was over, but were still sad that their friend would no longer be with them.

It was at this point that Aeris came back from the world beyond, called back by her friend's need for her. Her arrival lead to an even better celebration now the world was safe. The three of them were never apart after that and lived the rest of their days in a moving castle that roamed the Planet, until the day came when they all passed into the next world. Together.


	19. Co-Op Gaming

"So how does this work again?" Cloud asked. Beside him Aeris finished settling the guitar strap over her shoulder and strummed her instrument to select the relevant game options. Cloud shrugged and slung his own guitar-shaped controller over his head like she had. His hand caught against the switch on the main body of the controller resulting in a slightly tinny, discordant note from his guitar. Curious he tapped at the buttons on the guitar's neck to similar results.

"Won't work; I'm controlling the options." Aeris smiled. "You'll pick it up in no time. Like playing a real guitar. Mostly. Hold down the button the neck-" Aeris lifted the controller to demonstrate and tapped her fingers on the coloured buttons without clicking any of them. "-and strum up or down as the notes scroll." She smiled and waggled the relevant switch. On the screen various options highlighted in conjunction with her movements.

Aeris turned her attention back to the screen, strummed up a few times, each flick accompanied with a mechanical click. She pressed down on a button and selected the first block of songs. "Never played guitar," Cloud murmured. The two of them were stood in front of the television, the latest iteration of the popular guitar-playing video game loaded and ready, their instruments connected to the games console with long wires, the packaging tossed carelessly onto the sofa. Aeris had bought it on a whim after reading the included song list on the box.

Cloud had been curious about her enthusing and expressed some interest in joining in. Sadly the publishers were canny; to get two instruments meant forking out for two full copies of the game. Or having an older controller lying around. Aeris mused on the idea of tracking down a second-hand controller but decided against it. What chance was there it would still be in working order or last half as long as the new one? They split the cost of two sets of discs plus controllers (one disc left with the rest of the packaging unopened).

"Okay…" Aeris murmured scrolling down the list.

"Something easy at first maybe?" Cloud had never played one of the games before. Genuinely eager to try but mindful of messing up and thus wasting the money they spent on both games. It could not be that hard. Could it? He was not at all musically gifted; never had a chance for piano lessons or anything like it. He had good reflexes thanks to his past, but was that enough to do something like this?

"An easy one, huh?" Aeris grinned and clicked onto the lowest difficulty option. The song list popped up. Okay. Oddly nervous now. Cloud breathed out, trying to calm himself. If this was like most video games, it would start easy and get progressively more difficult. Well; unless this was something akin to that weird - or maybe infuriating was the better word - game set in an archaic fanatasy setting where everything could kill his characters in two hits and getting to the end still involved his character dying.

No, it couldn't be anything like that. This game would be a slow progression of difficulty with each passing level and for their progression through the track list. First track should be the really easy one. The CD drive of the console whirred for a few moments, the screen froze, went black and- Now a run-down venue was visible, their viewpoint swooping across it and the crowded audience assembled before a ramshackle stage. A 3D model of their alleged band stood waiting on the stage, instruments in hands. Was that him and Aeris in-game? There had been no option to select an appearance so they would have to accept it. The interface rose up, obscuring the band, the stage and most of the background detail. In another moment the song began.

"What's this one?" Cloud frowned; the backing beat sounded, represented by a pulsing line - the first notes were inbound and hurtled down the screen towards the prompt.

"Chocobo Ride. By Mog Hat." Aeris's face took a new look of concentration. She played near perfectly, fingers tapping and clicking in time with the moving button prompts. Cloud was not at her level; some notes he hit, others he missed with a similar discordant clank to his attempt to control the menu. He stayed well clear of the weird bar thing Aeris waggled at any opportunity for more points. Together they both thrashed pretend guitars at the end of the song to the virtual crowd's delight. Aeris took a deep breath, her face flushed. "Want to do the next one?"

"Definitely." Cloud gripped his guitar and grinned.


	20. Born to Make History

Life seemed to pass in a rush all of a sudden. So much was changing and an overly large aspect of those changes was outright implausible, although not - strictly speaking - actively impossible. Some of it had to be a dream - right? Like, there could be no way that Aeris Gainsborough - the Aeris Gainsborough; world-class figure skater, Tifa's personal idol, the woman who inspired her to take up figure-skating in the first place; there was no way that Aeris Gainsborough could be possibly in her family's hot springs. Reality seemed to disagree, because there she was; extremely naked and extremely unconcerned about Tifa's abrupt intrusion into the bath upon her realisation of the identity of the unexpected visitor. Aeris rose from the water and Tifa pinched herself. Ow. Okay. This apparently was reality. Her and her - naked - idol. Who was eager to talk to her. Maybe this was a hallucination?

But despite Tifa's confidence that something must be interfering with how she was perceiving the world; whether dreaming, drunk or someone had drugged her somewhere along the line, the presence of Aeris in the inn did not seem to be ending and she seemed pulse-quickeningly solid. Time passed and Aeris remained, getting comfortable in her room despite filling it near to overflowing with crates of her belongings. This could not last long, but Tifa was in no mood to see it end anytime soon.

Aeris was here to see Tifa. Okay. Even to accept that Aeris could be here - in Kalm of all places - reality must be buckling again because Aeris's stated reasons for coming here did not completely make sense. Aeris said - and Tifa got her to repeat her speech verbatim - she wanted to become Tifa's manager for the up and coming Grand Prix. Tifa pinched herself again. It still hurt. Maybe one more to check. Yep. Pain.

So. Her wildest and least plausible dreams were somehow coming true - in a manner of speaking anyway. Those dreams - well, day-dreams - tended to have the air of late-night wandering thoughts, or a brief consideration in the shower (and the thoughts made Tifa's cheeks blaze with heat). None of her safer imaginings had ever concerned coaching but why quibble on that aspect of the present? Tifa was back in the game and now had the absurd resource of the best skater in the world.

Tifa's expectations for the future before Aeris's arrival was slipping into some other role or career, nothing she cared about too much - maybe bar-tending. Certainly after her previous terrible performance it made sense to retire and move onto to something else and never dwell on what had happened. She still planned to watch Aeris's performances naturally, still dream and fantasize about being with her. And perhaps in a fever dream, something like the present could play out, but she would never kid herself it would or could happen for real.

Now this was her reality. Aeris was utterly charming with everyone around her. Well, charming in some capacities, while a near-disaster in others - especially when she was off the ice and engaged in more delicate social issues. For all her grace, beauty and skill skating, she occasionally had some curious difficulties with the concepts such as clothes and personal space. Also focus and not being bluntly, ruthlessly honest about so many things. Plus she was a hard task-master. And that was not even taking into account those moments when she got so very close to Tifa, really astonishingly close, her hands cupping her cheeks-

Tifa skated into the side of the ice-rink, rebounded and her cheeks heated up. Somewhere behind her, Aeris tutted despite her amazing smile that made Tifa's legs feel weak- Tifa hastened to return to the right place in the routine. Focus. She had to get her head back together and continue the program and-

A door slammed distantly and stomping footsteps came closer. "Aeris!" roared a familiar yet - like Aeris - unexpected voice. Cloud Strife, Aeris's protoge and the current junior champion was also here it seemed. Nope, not happening. Not possible. This really was the longest, most detailed and elaborate dream ever. Tifa pinched herself again. Still painful. And now Cloud was here and alternately glaring at both her and Aeris. Tifa looked away from his scowling face; Aeris on the otherhand smiled and seemed unconcerned by both his appearance and his anger, greeting Cloud like his presence here was the most natural thing in the world.

And from there came the odd competition between them to see which of them would gain Aeris as their manager, trainer and choreographer. If Cloud won, Aeris was going back to Wutai with him. If Tifa won; Aeris would stay here and continue coaching her. Could she possibly win this? Maybe not. But assuming this was reality (another pinch. Ow. Was she dreaming pain somehow?), she was not going down without a fight.


	21. Bedtime Habits

Aeris was never quite sure where the habit developed from. Maybe an idle act by Cloud one time that she liked and he kept on doing it because she did. Aeris would sit between Cloud's legs after showering or getting ready for bed, and he would run his fingers gently through her hair to untangle any knots. The faint tugs and gentle pulls helped relax her and she would always doze off easily after they lay down. They did not do it every night of course; late nights, movies, inflamed passions often distracted them. But if they could, they did.


	22. Surprise Attack

The new kid got perhaps a fraction of a moment for the alarm to register before Aeris struck. Her snowball connected with his head, the packed snow bursting apart and tumbling to the ground with a satisfying explosion. The boy with blue eyes stumbled, flopped over backwards and fell flat on his back in the ankle-deep snow. Aeris giggled at the sight, waiting for whatever happened next. The boy heaved himself up a second later, his blond spikes now covered in snow. He scowled and glanced around the area for the perpetrator. She stepped back into the shelter of the water tower; it took him a little longer to notice her standing there, but he soon identified her as the culprit. Upon spotting her, the boy scrambled to his feet and scooped up a handful of snow. He pelted the resulting snowball back at Aeris in a moment.

She side-stepped the projectile and it splattered against the wooden structure beside her. She grinned, rounded the tower and lobbed her second snowball back towards him. He was ready for it this time; at the last second he dodged and took refuge behind the steps up to his house. This was all great; he was willing to play along, that angry expression shifting to more of a look of concentration on the verge of widening into a grin.

Aeris had been so excited at the thought of another kid moving to the area and hoped for so much. That he might be someone who could go on adventures with her; up into the mountains (or at least the foothills) or out into the plains. Someone to play in the snow with. Someone she could throw snowballs at and with (perhaps to ally against adults who might join the fight on future occasions). A friend her own age for the first time in her life. He was here- And he needed some more snowballs thrown at him. She scooped up another handful of snow and hurled it forwards. This was going to be fun.


	23. Cooling Off

Aeris swallowed the last dregs of water, scrunched the bottle up and fanned her face with one hand. Where was the sea breeze? She flopped onto her back, willing her skin to cool in the still air. Nothing happened. She had already removed all the clothing acceptable to perceived modesty on the beach. Anything more was going to invite unwanted attention and/or strong encouragement to leave. Wait. Some people had no problem wandering beaches nude. Was there such a place, somewhere more secluded place nearby? Who would know?

The nearest stranger was too far away across burning sand and she dismissed the idea. Too much work. Plus stripping completely was unlikely to make much difference at this point. She was already wearing little and in the shade of the beach umbrella and still boiling.

The glorious blue tide crashed against the sand nearby. Tempting. Too tempting. Crystal clear, cool water close at hand. "No good. I'm going swimming," Aeris announced to the group and sprang to her feet. A quick dart across the burning sand, her focus fixed on reaching the water. Or the damp sand left in the wake of the tide sliding back down the beach. No, she needed to get into the shallows. Pain, pain, pain- Should she turn back? How far had she gone? No. She had to do this.

Her foot plunged into the cooler sand, momentum carrying her forward. Aeris splashed into the sea, the water swirling around her ankles. Bliss. The sun was still scorching on her back and shoulders, the cool of the water not offsetting it enough. She strode ever deeper, the water now reaching her knees. Deep enough. Aeris dove forward into the next wave and into a wonderful rush of cold. The sea enveloped her super-heated flesh and she swam along the bottom, the debilitating heat gone.

Aeris surfaced, flailing a little and brushing hair out of her eyes; she trod water and tied a ponytail. Perfect. No longer boiling on the sand. Wonderful out here in the water. Did life get any better? Well, some company would be nice - and everyone else was still back on the beach. Shame. Maybe someone would venture out later-

At the umbrella, Cloud got to his feet and headed towards her. She smiled; she would not be alone out here.


	24. Scavenger Hunt

They might not be first in the scavenger hunt, but Cloud and Aeris were not far behind the leaders. The couple successfully solved the clues so far, arriving at many destinations behind other players and outright first on a few occasions. A tiring, but fun event, no clue too hard or too easy. Until now.

The last objective stumped them utterly. "Photo booth." Cloud frowned. Already people around them rushed off somewhere. Seemed like at least one person knew of such a thing nearby and others followed their lead. Frustrating; too many people moving in the right direction to get in front of now and also make it back to the finish line.

They could try and come in a relatively good place, but the top prize - a holiday in Costa del Sol - would remain out of reach. Maybe one of the lesser prizes would make up for it. Cloud tensed to run-

A man wandered past and Aeris's heart lurched. Would it count? A clever solution if nothing else. Why not? She grinned and grabbed Cloud's arm before he could move. "What is it?" She gestured at the man to Cloud's confusion.

"It's Booth." She kept her voice to a hiss and held up the clue, tapping the second word. "If we photograph him-"

Cloud ran for the instant camera back home. They could still win this.


	25. Dream Heist

When Barret Wallace first approached her with his strange request, Aeris Gainsborough refused outright.

Barret knew of her by reputation; one of the best extractors of her field, adept at entering the dreams of a target, locating their deeply held secrets and leaving before they had the faintest idea of the intrusion. Stacking dreams two deep remained her favourite tactic; a buffer to minimise the chance of catastrophic realisation by the target.

But Barret wanted the opposite of her expectise - not extraction. He already knew enough and it worried him to the point he asked for the near impossible. The planting of a notion. Not easy. Never before successfully recorded. She reconsidered over time. The request was to convince Rufus Shinra to abandon mako processing, to split the various divisions of his corporate empire. To no longer rule the world and sap at its life force. A difficult goal to resist; the job would be good for her. The results good for the world. And Barret insisted he did not simply want to supplant Shinra and take his place. He wanted the world to keep on living no matter what for his daughter.

A tough assignment. A tiny seed would need planting in the depths of Rufus Shinra's mind. A new thought grafted so delicately it would feel like part of his own imagination. The parts came together in a rush; a long-haul airship flight provided an opportunity to infiltrate.

Reeve Tuesti was her Forger; master of disguise, taking different roles as and when needed. He would be responsible for the lowest level of the dream, a fortress inspired by Fort Condor. Tifa Lockhart was the magic expert and responsible for the first level; she worked the sleep Materia to keep Rufus under as long as they needed. Her part of the dream was a twisted, snarled up section of Sector Eight's Upper Plate.

Yuffie Kisaragi was the architect; the only one of the group to know the layout of the three levels. Barret insisted on attending as a tourist; to see the process from the other side and gain assurances Aeris had done what she claimed. Vincent Valentine was the Point Man, arranging facilities and information in addition to the second dream, a haunted hotel in an amusement park.

Cloud never had an official designation. Part tourist, part heavy weapons expert. No expectation of needing those capabilities, but it never hurt to prepare for these heists. The seven of them assembled in the cabin with the unconscious Rufus. Final few checks; Aeris triggered the mind spell, clutching the Materia tight. Tifa invoked her sleep spell and dropped down into the first dream.


	26. Return to the Gold Saucer

There were several places capable of provoking unusual sensations when Charis revisited. Specific, memorable places to the people Charis had once been. Places they now saw both with the memories of their old selves and new experiences wholly theirs. Midgar held many varied memories; the church in Sector Five in particular. The City of the Ancients sparked a mixture of fear, pain and sorrow when Charis ventured into the deserted metropolis again.

But the Gold Saucer was different. There were nuisances here; feelings of betrayal linked to Cait Sith and Reeve, frustrations linked to Dyne and Dio. But there was a rising nervous excitement; of confessing feelings for another. The knowledge another could feel such things. What Aeris Gainsborough might have said to Cloud Strife. What Tifa Lockhart might have planned to say. Or was it the other way around? Or neither? Did it matter? The feelings were clear and vivid; here too were Cloud Strife's discovery of those feelings - or maybe his continued ignorance. Charis had all three sets of memories; they smiled.

The Gondola was little changed and neither was the view. But to see it all again, to remember the mixture of emotion and now experience it again, certain of the culmination. Worth coming back.


	27. Time Would Tell

Insisting her home was anywhere else but here ultimately proved futile. Aeris had returned to the BPRD - after only a few years trying to make it on her own. Those years good until this week; no flare-ups, no fires during the night. Everything calm, peaceful. She managed to open and run a florist for a time. There was something peaceful and comforting about growing flowers, tending to them. Running a small shop, meeting new people. New people who had no preconceived notions about her. Mercifully none resembled the teens she incinerated on a dark day years ago; the nightmare she could never escape from fully. The one forcing her awake in a panic whenever her dreams turned in that direction.

In the end the concern was not her safety; she survived the firestorm without so much as reddened skin. Everyone in the vicinity was another matter; she had to move to prevent any further horror. The strength of her pyrokinesis only increased as she grew older. The dark day in the past had seen the flames scorch to ten meters around her; the distance now - too terrible to contemplate in the hideous flare up last week. Her new reprieve from the outside world did at least allow for some differing provisions. No longer prescribed any medication to keep her from dreaming during the nights; her rooms prepped and prepared for any outburst.

Safer here - for everyone. But; coming back here meant facing him again. The man who at times drove her to frustration, but whom she never seemed able to stay angry at for long. He was leaning against the door to his room when she came in, emanating a confidence he almost certainly did not truly feel. Deep red skin contrasted with the bright blond spikes of his hair. Cat-like slit-eyes. Cloud Strife, his birth shrouded with complexities of Jenova worshipping cults and inter-dimensional gateways smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hi." Aeris kept her face blank, uninterested as she walked past him. She let herself smile once he was behind her. She was starting anew here; it did not mean she should fall back into a relationship with him. But by the same token; would it be falling back or would it be a new start, a chance to start over? Time would tell.


	28. Redecoration

The first task on moving into the mansion at Costa del Sol was redecorating. Previously, thinking about the décor or taste of the former occupant was low on both Aeris and Cloud's priorities. But with the world safe enough or at least not currently in peril, and the two of them were owed some downtime in what turned out to be essentially all they had to live in at this point. Making the place look more like their home seemed a good plan. What was seeming less of a good plan was the attempt to do all the work on their own. Dust sheets covered much of the mansion and floors to keep everything safe from paint.

As open as the mansion seemed, there was a lot more wall-space to cover in paint. The air reeked of fresh paint, even with the windows open wide to allow the sea-air in. Aeris bought some over-sized men's shirts for protection as she and Cloud started on one wall and worked their way around the whole house. At the end of each day, they were tired and splattered with paint. But a little closer to the ideal. The mansion would change, however gradually. More flowers. The place definitely needed more flowers.


	29. Gotta Catch 'em All

The move had taken most of the day. The delivery men had taken care of most of the move, but Mom did at least let Aeris ferry her own most treasured belongings up to her room, Simon perched on her shoulder in lizard form. Her own collection of Creature dolls sat on the mattress beside her flat-packed bed. A shame to leave the old house, but Mom's work brought them here and there no choice but to leave her friends behind. At least she could call them on the phone and keep in touch. An additional shame that her birthday was tomorrow; she would be ten and ready to start her journey. A journey she would undertake with Simon alone – one she had expected to take with her friends and their daemons. Mom was quick to point out that venturing off alone was part of the point. You could have friends, but nothing would make her as close to the creatures she captured as her and Simon encountering them without a friend or their daemon present.

Mom called for her to answer the door when the doorbell rang. A blond boy about her age with spiky hair welcomed her to the island and the neighbourhood. A mouse peered from his shoulder as he spoke, and Aeris asked her name. Sylar, the boy said. Sylar informed her the boy's named was Cloud. He too was about to start his Creature journey. If she liked she could go to the festival the island held. The Creature Leagues did not exist here as yet, but Professor Gast had big plans to make the Mideel islands as well known as the other regions on the Planet. A Creature League to rival the others. Gast was willing to give her a first other Creature; a substitute daemon to supplant Simon.

What was once dangerous was now common-place; the removal of the invisible link between human their daemon. No one could tolerate such a state for long and a substitute daemon, a Creature loosed to reconnect. If all Creatures a trainer held fell unconscious, it inevitably lead to unconsciousness. Something to avoid, although the recovery rate for kids suffering such a fate was in the high nineties. Why some people did not become Creature trainers, content to live their lives with their singular daemon. Aeris was unafraid. Her head buzzed as she slept that night, ready for tomorrow and the start of the journey. What Creature would she receive? She stroked her hand across Simon who was currently in rabbit form. What would it be like to split from him like that? To replace him with another? She murmured her promise that no matter what other Creatures she would gain, she could never be without him.


	30. Late Night Kissing

The kiss should have been nothing but a kiss. Brief affection late, or more likely, early in the day now. The two of them touching lips like they did so often. Quick pecks on the lips, enough of a romance to assure each of them the other still cared for them. But. Aeris was not ready for the kiss to end; she darted forward to continue. And a second time. Lips pressed against lips; Aeris flicked her tongue across Cloud's and they parted. The kiss deepened. No matter how often they kissed like this, there was always a thrill at the increase in intimacy, the level of closeness.

Aeris pressed forward and Cloud laid back onto the bed. She was half on top of him, his arms coming up to encircle her. Tongues flicked against each other and Aeris let out a gentle moan. Cloud's hand clutched at her back a little tighter. They should be sleeping right now. There would be time for this tomorrow sometime. But yet, stopping was not an option. Aeris wriggled and sat astride Cloud. Her pyjamas were too warm right now; Cloud was wearing too many clothes. They would need to fix that. She pulled away from the kiss, leaving Cloud panting and pulled her top over her head.


End file.
